MAR 23, 2017

Weekly Radio Address: Wisconsin's Economy in the Best Shape Since 2000

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Madison – Governor Scott Walker released his weekly radio address today titled, “Wisconsin’s Economy in the Best Shape Since 2000.”

Hi, Scott Walker here.

Wisconsin’s economy is in the best shape it’s been since 2000. Think about that. Tommy Thompson was still Governor and Bill Clinton was President.

The unemployment rate went down to 3.7% in February. The last time it was that low was November of the year 2000.

Our state also added 7,600 private sector jobs last month, according to initial estimates. Without a doubt, we are working and winning for Wisconsin.

More people are working in our state than ever before in history, and more than 200,000 private sector jobs have been created since December of 2010. Importantly, manufacturing job creation has led the way and our state is in the Top 10 in the nation for manufacturing jobs since we took office.

Job creation is strong, and wages are up, too. As we near record low unemployment levels, I hear from employers all the time who tell me they have plenty of job openings, but not enough skilled workers to fill them. That’s why we’ll continue to be focused on worker training and education as we move forward.

In our state budget, we provide more funding for K-12 education than ever before and additional investments in worker training programs - as well as in our technical colleges and in the University of Wisconsin System. Our investments in education today will have a direct impact on our future workforce.

Public assistance, as well, should be a trampoline and not a hammock, which is why we believe it makes sense to require able-bodied adults who are on welfare to get job training, at no cost to them, so they can get off the sidelines and into the game. We want to move people from government dependence to true independence through the dignity that comes from work.

All of this is great news for working families across our state, but you know what? We’re not done yet, and we won’t be satisfied until everyone who wants a job, has a job.